Interlude

“She’s not answering,” Cassandra said, worry evident in her voice. Seymour shook his head with a smile.

“Aw, they probably have their hands full right now, call them back later tonight and they’ll be okay,” he said.

Cassandra glanced over at him. He pointedly ignored her, opting instead to focus on the freeway ahead. The light green Oldsmobile was speeding, a lot over the limit, through Nebraska towards their destination of Iowa, and it had been Seymour’s turn to drive for the last few hours. Cassandra had used the time to take a short nap, but since she was sure school had just gotten out she had called Katey’s phone to check up on the three.

“Why would she be hunting something?” she asked, suspicious. Seymour grinned at her.

“I left a summoning spell for the three to take care of. Just a little test to see if they can handle themselves,” he said, sounding annoyingly pleased with himself. Cassandra’s jaw dropped in horror.

“You did what?” she shouted at him. “Pull the car over.”

Seymour glanced at her, confused. “Why?”

“Just pull the car over,” Cassandra told him, glaring.

Seymour did as he was told, slowing the car down and steering it off to the side. Once the car was stopped, he turned in his seat.

“What’s going on?” he asked, completely clueless. Cassandra glowered.

“What summoning spell did you leave?” she asked carefully. He frowned down at his hands, thinking.

“I don’t remember what it was for, but it was a pretty simple on to draw, so it can’t be that bad,” he said. Cassandra shook her head. She reached over and dug through the glove box for a piece of paper and pen, then handed it to Seymour.

“Draw it,” she demanded. Seymour raised a gray eyebrow. She motioned for him to take the proffered paper and pen. “Now.”

Seymour finally yanked the paper and pen from her hands angrily. He didn’t usually take orders from his daughter, but she was so vehement about this that he was starting to get worried. He never paid attention to what summoning spells he was using, unless he needed to, and the one he’d drawn and left at the house had been so simple.

He drew the beginning circle, added a triangle through it, then drew the three symbols needed. Then he shoved it back at Cassandra. He began to pull back on the freeway but Cassandra put a hand on his arm, stopping him. He glanced over at her and frowned. She was staring at the paper, horror evident on her face.

“Are you positive this is the summoning spell you left?” she asked slowly. Seymour nodded, but didn’t say anything. He knew when he was in trouble with his daughter, and he knew to keep his mouth shut. She was just like her mom, and would rip him a new one if he tried to make excuses.

“You left them the summoning spell for a torment demon!” she yelled at him, and Seymour flinched. “You really had no idea what you were leaving? You are the biggest idiot!”

Seymour bit his lip, trying to remember if he actually knew what the spell had been. He couldn’t. He gave a helpless look for Cassandra, and she swore under her breath, something she never did.

“Turn the car around,” she spat. Seymour didn’t hesitate. He instantly threw the car into gear and sped down the freeway to the next exit, then got on the freeway going the other direction as fast as was physically possible.

“The reason Katey’s not answering her phone, dad, is probably because she’s being attacked by a torment demon, which WILL kill her,” Cassandra said, glowering. Seymour frowned, feeling the beginnings of regret clutching at his soul. Because he knew what a torment demon was. He had faced one before, and he had barely survived.

Not only was a torment demon extremely deadly and hard to kill, it liked to toy with its victims, torturing them physically and mentally until their body gives out on them. If he had known that he had been summoning one of those he never would have let the kids anywhere near that house.

Seymour pressed the gas pedal down harder, praying that they made it back in time.

Story summary

A collection of stories centered around the lives of Katey O'Donnell, and her surrogate family as they travel around the USA tracking down and killing the demons that plague the world from the shadows.

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